GRANDVILLE, Mich. — As snow moves through West Michigan, drivers in Grandville may not realize the road itself is being monitored in real time.
From pavement temperature to moisture levels, the city is using this data to guide its winter response as part of a larger county and statewide weather monitoring system.
During snowstorms, Grandville looks beyond the forecast, using technology that helps monitor weather conditions at different locations throughout the community.
"If you think about it, being the northeast and the southwest sides of the community, they help us monitor weather at those locations — both upcoming weather and ongoing weather — better to prepare the use of our snow plowing equipment," Grandville City Manager Griffin Graham said.
The system monitors pavement temperature and provides live camera feeds, showing what's happening on different sides of town as conditions change.
The technology becomes one more tool in the toolbox, helping guide decisions during winter storms.
"Depending on the temperature and the overall weather dictates what type of equipment we use for plowing — and probably more specifically, whether or not and how much salt to put on the roads," Graham said.
Technology is just part of the equation, Graham added.
"We have a great team here in Grandville, and they bring a lot of experience. I rely on them quite a bit — their experience as the guys with boots on the ground," Graham said.
Even with this technology and experience, the city knows winter weather is unpredictable.
"Snow plowing is an imperfect science. We're going to be out there doing our best to maintain the roads so people can navigate safely through our community. On mornings like this, it can be harder than others to stay caught up, but our DPW guys take a lot of pride in maintaining our roads," Graham said.
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